Wausau School Board members, Master Singers react to limit on religious music

Oct. 5, 2013

Wausau West High School's concert chorale, led by director Phil Buch, records a holiday CD in 2004. Elementary schools' holiday concerts have been canceled after the Wausau School District issued a directive to limit religious music. / Daily Herald Media file photo

Written by

Katie Hoffman

Daily Herald Media

WAUSAU — Members of the Wausau School Board likely will meet in the coming weeks to discuss a directive sent by district officials to limit religious music performed during December holiday concerts.

Following a Daily Herald Media story that reported the Master Singers choir group would disband as a result of the limits, and that Wausau elementary schools pushed their holiday concerts to the spring, School Board members say they have yet to meet and discuss the issue.

Phil Buch has directed Wausau West High School’s choir programs since 1981. According to the Daily Herald Media report, Buch made the decision to temporarily disband the Master Singers, an elite high school group, after a Thursday meeting with district officials.

Buch said district administrators gave music educators at Wausau schools three options for December concerts, which typically contain a significant amount of religious music: choose five secular, or non-religious, songs for each religious song performed; hold a concert and have no holiday music; or postpone any concerts in December.

Elementary school holiday concerts have been pushed to the spring.

In an email sent Saturday to Daily Herald Media, Wausau School District Superintendent Kathleen Williams wrote, “... the administration has made clear that the Master Singers may perform seasonal and non-religious Christmas music to groups like the Kiwanis, nursing homes, etc. In addition, religious-themed music will continue to be a part of the Winter Concert, along with other songs based upon musical considerations.”

Williams wrote in the email that she plans to release a statement on the issue Monday morning.

School Board member Jane Rusch said she was disappointed to learn holiday concerts on the elementary school level were postponed and the Master Singers’ rehearsals halted. She said Buch was not told to eliminate religious music, just to mix it with more secular, or non-religious music.

“Mr. Buch — instead of taking it on the chin and going with (the three options) this year — is taking it out on the kids and effectively canceling the program,” she said. “I guess he’s gotten to the point where he was given options and he’s not happy.”

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Kevin Ruhl, 17, is a senior at Wausau West and a second-year member of the Master Singers. He said Buch told the group Friday morning of the temporary halt on practices.

“It was pretty depressing,” Ruhl said. “I’m pretty confident I can speak for the whole choir that we, hands down, do not really care what kind of literature we’re given to sing.”

Ruhl said he identifies as a Christian.

“When you take away religious music, it’s basically like taking away Shakespeare from an English classroom setting,” he said. “It’s a major chunk of learning and basically where magnificent choral music began.”

Rusch said religion can be an emotional issue for the public, but doesn’t think the board should get involved in the decision to limit music.

“I think we need to meet and discuss it so we’re informed, but to get involved on a decision level is really over-reaching our authority,” she said. “The administrators need to carry this out.”

School Board member Theresa Miles said she didn’t know anything about the issue until she read the Daily Herald Media report Saturday.

“I think the community will want some answers as to how this all came to be, so I think (the School Board) needs to meet in some posted fashion to let them know what we think is in their best interest,” she said.

Thomas Moberg, 17, is a senior at West and first-year member of the Master Singers. He’s been in a variety of choirs since his freshman year, including those under Buch’s leadership. Moberg, who identifies as an atheist, said he’s never had a problem with performance music.

“Music is there for us to sing and be happy about singing,” he said. “It’s not about the actual text; it’s about technique and learning and adapting through different styles.”

Moberg said hearing of the group’s hiatus was “a little more heart-wrenching than I thought it would be.”

“I feel like I’ve been cheated,” he said. “Under (Buch’s) care, I’ve developed more as a gentleman and a person than a singer. He’s the reason I’m on the track forward to college.”

Board member Lance Trollop said the board has not met to discuss the directive sent by the Wausau School District.

“Typically, when an issue like this comes up with a lot of response, we’ll have a meeting to address it,” he said. “I don’t think it’s our role to get into every little decision. It’s our role to set policy, and this is certainly related, whether or not I think we should be involved.”

School Board Clerk Yvonne Henning declined Saturday to comment on the issue, directing all questions to Michelle Schaefer, board president.